Glimpse Inside
by KiwiBird5
Summary: A boy with no memory of the past is almost killed by a man who's hunting him. Mulder and Scully take on the case to discover the boy's identity and protect him from a force greater than they understand.
1. Chapter 1

The house is one any average suburban family could afford, but it's empty of furniture, light, and has only one, young, confused resident tonight. A dark-haired boy feels his way around the place, groping at the walls in search of a light switch. The winter night sky is cloudy so that even the moon can't shine out.

"Hello?" His call goes unanswered just like all of his attempts. The boy's breath is visible and seems to pierce his lungs with the chill. _Where am I?_ He wonders. _Who am I? I don't remember how I got here. Wait- I don't remember anything!_ Fear goes coursing through his veins. Nothing is familiar, the house, the sky, even his own thoughts feel alien. "Help!" He starts to scream. He wants to run and hit something, anything; if it would just bring his heart rate down. His only objective is to get of the house and find another living human being. He goes to his knees and starts crawling. His right shoulder never leaves the wall, and he can only hope it will lead him out of the labyrinth of a house.

The entire time, the only thing he's sure of, is that he's alone. But even that, isn't true. A creak stops the nameless boy in his tracks. He strains his ears, waiting for any sign of life, but none presents itself. The dark-haired kid continues on, only getting a few feet before the creaking meets him again.

"Who's there?" He shouts, whipping his head back and forth. He locates a window and nearly collapses in relief to find an exit. Hope fills his gaze as he squints at the glass, just to find a man staring back at him. The boy stands and sprints away without hesitation. Noises seem to fill the house as the man enters in pursuit. _He's after me!_ The boy thinks. His bare feet hit the floor with a smack as he runs through room after room. But everywhere he goes the silhouette of the man stands behind every window. Again and again, the same man is there.

Eventually, the boy throws himself into an empty closet, slamming the door closed hard enough to make the hinges shake. His panting fills the enclosed space. All the boy can do is cradle his kneels against his chest and fight back hot tears.

"What is happening?" No response. "Who is that man?" No response. "Who am I?" Nothing. "Why don't I remember anything?" Silence. He waits for about five minutes, letting his breathing slow along with his heart. "I must get out." The boy mutters, and pushes the door open. The second he's exposed, pale hands reach out from the darkness and find his neck.

The boy's screams fill the home, and don't stop until every light in the neighborhood is on.

Scully folds her arms as she enters Mulder's storage basement of an office. He's got his legs kicked up on the table top and a file in his lap. He flips through it with a grin that Scully knows can only mean trouble and a whole lot of air travel. She sighs and preps herself for the paranormal mania of dialogue that will surely follow her question.

"Is that an X-File?" Mulder's smile widens as he looks up at her unamused expression.

"No, but I have a feeling it could be." He returns his feet to the ground and points into the file. "About two days ago in Denver, Colorado a murder attempt was made against a boy estimated to be around 11 or 12. The boy was found in an empty, for-sale, suburban house by a neighbor who was awakened by his screams in the middle of the night. He looked to have been nearly strangled to death by bare hands, but when everyone arrived, the culprit had disappeared. Upon further investigation," Mulder's eyes fly over the print faster now. "It was discovered the boy had no recollection of how he had gotten into the house, anything about his past, nor even his own name."

"A John Doe?" Scully raises an eyebrow, Mulder nods and leans forward.

"I've asked to take this case, Scully. I have a feeling." Agent Scully fights back a groan; Mulder's feelings have a knack for being misguiding and right at the same time.

"What do you expect to find?"

"I don't know." He shrugs. "But I'll find out tomorrow after our flight to Denver, Colorado." He stands and offers her the file. Scully looks down at it and back at him without taking it.

"There has to be something you're not telling me. A boy with amnesia and a failed murder hardly qualifies as an X-File." The two hold eye contact for a full three seconds before Mulder gives in.

"The John Doe reported seeing the attempted murderer over and over again in outside windows while insisting he was in the house too. The kid also doesn't seem to actually exist. There is absolutely no record, no missing child reports fitting him. This John Doe, along with the rest of the world, has no idea who he is." Scully does her best to look not intrigued, but she is. The agent takes the file out of her partner's hand and gives in.

"Then I guess we're going to Colorado."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading this story so far. This is my first time using this site so I apologize for the confusion with the transition in the last chapter and any more errors to come. I welcome feedback, constructive criticism, or anything you feeling like sharing. Please leave a comment. Follow and favorite if you like!

x

A one-way mirror is the only obstacle between Agents Mulder and Scully, and the John Doe. The boy is sitting in bed, examining himself, staring at his fingers like they'll tell him everything. His body is still a mystery; the mirror on the wall gives him a scare every time he looks at it. His own skin feels off, like he doesn't belong in it, or something is so horribly different from what his subconscious is used to, though it might just be due to the numerous bruises that litter his body. Glancing around, John Doe jumps out of bed, making Mulder and Scully start. He approaches them, only seeing his own reflection. The ground beneath his bare feet gives him a better bearing. However, his eyes don't wander around the white hospital room; they don't find the bars on his window, or the exit which requires a key card to leave. He's staring at himself and drawing closer until his breath starts to fog the mirror. John Doe's fingers brush numbly against his lips and work their way up his face. Pulling at his larger than average ears, fingering his pointed jaw, plugging and unplugging his thin nose; the boy takes in his features up close for the first time, at least that he can remember.

Mulder isn't watching. He's standing on the other side of the room, holding his phone a good inch away from his ear. The FBI's been trying to reassign him to a different case ever since they arrived in Colorado. He hangs up on an angry Assistant Director Skinner.

"They won't get off my case; keep trying to make us investigate some presumed-dead threat." He sighs and walks next to Scully's side, peering at the boy's self-assessment of his features. "What do you think of him?" Mulder whispers to Scully on the other side. Both of them are observing in almost sad fascination.

"He really doesn't recognize himself." She whispers. "His face is so clouded." Mulder glances at his partner; it's not every day her voice takes on such a sentimental tone. Though through the years, he's noticed she does have a soft spot for children.

"Hopefully, he'll get his memories back soon." She nods, still staring at the John Doe as he identifies his own characteristics. After a moment of silence, Mulder digs out his key card. "Shall we go in?" He asks; her gaze lingers on the boy a moment longer, then turns back to her partner.

"Yes." They cross over to the door and with a swipe of the card, it opens. John Doe turns toward them and starts backing away immediately. _It's the man again!_ He thinks, but soon realizes otherwise. He still slides into the corner though.

"It's okay." Scully comes out from behind Mulder, raising her hands to show she means no harm. "I'm Agent Scully from the FBI, this is my partner Agent Mulder." The man nods with a "trying to look friendly" smile.

"FBI?" John Doe repeats, his stomach flipping. "What do you guys want?"

"We want to find the man who tried to kill you, and maybe even find out where you came from." Mulder replies but the boy narrows his eyes. The letters FBI made his belly do a barrel roll; his gut's been pretty silent up to this point. Something makes him distrust the two.

"I don't trust you. Don't you guys have files on everyone? Aren't I in there?" Mulder and Scully glance at each other. Apparently his memory wipe wasn't enough to rid him of big government prejudice.

"No." Scully replies. "You arn't, which is what makes you such a big mystery." The boy's shoulders sag. Not even the FBI knows anything about him.

"This isn't just amnesia, is it?" Mulder's eyes get a glint of excitement at this, but Scully interrupts before he can start.

"We don't know, but we want to help you through this. With our help, you hopefully won't be a John Doe forever." The boy's gaze flickers between the two, still pressing his back into the wall. His instincts and his yearning battle, either distrust them and be safe, or believe them and find his true identity. "John." The boy flinches. Agent Scully's drawing closer. "Can I call you John?" The distance between them shrinks until she's offering to shake his hand. "At least until we learn your real name." Mulder just watches with a grin as his partner works her magic. Slowly, the boy's hand emerges and they shake.

"Yeah, John sounds like a good name." He whispers. Scully smiles at him, and he returns it with a timid grin. _I want to trust them._ He thinks. _If I don't, I may never learn the truth._

The Agents eventually get him sat down on the bed, and the interview finally begins.

"So John," Mulder pulls out his note pad. "Do you mind telling us about the night the man tried to kill you?" The boy unconsciously tugs at his ears.

"Sure." He starts. "My first memory is of waking up in that house. The night was cold and the place had no heater, so for, like, the first five minutes after I woke up, I didn't open my eyes or anything. I just lay there shivering. My lack of, well, identity didn't even hit me. Eventually I got up and walked around, at first in a trance, then I realized I had no idea where or who I was. I started freaking out then. It was so dark and cold." He shivers at the memory. "I ran around the entire house, looking for an exit or someone else. The place gave me the creeps." Mulder chuckles at the expression. "I started to crawl when I got too scared. The house made all of these creaking noises." John's cheeks flush at admitting it. "Then I saw the man. He was standing outside the window just staring at me. I ran, of course, the opposite direction. But I knew he was after me. Then I came to the next room and he was standing behind _that_ window. He was behind the window in the next room, and the next, but the entire time I knew he was in the house chasing me. I hid in a closet, stayed in there for about five minutes. Then when I came out, his hands reached out of the darkness and started strangling me. It was too dark to see. I'm just glad the neighbors came over. I kind of passed out so I didn't see the man leave."

Everything goes quiet except for the scratching of Mulder's pen as he jots down everything.

"Do you think the man has something to do with my memory loss?" Johns asks

"Maybe." Mulder's brow is furrowed in concentration. Mind boggling theories dash through his head, flaunting all of the unexplained holes they all have. "There has to be an explanation."

x SCENE CHANGE x

John sits on the bed with his legs stretched out in from of him. The barred window pours moonlight onto his feet. For the past hour, he's been trying to make his middle toe wiggle without its companions moving as well. Needless to say, he has no desire to sleep. _If I sleep,_ he thinks. _I may forget everything._ Though he's napped since the incident two nights prior, the premonition hasn't left him.

"John Doe, Gone low, wrong flow, pawn show, swan woe." He mutters to keep himself awake, yawning. "Yawn no, fawn though, on low."

" _I'm sorry, but you have to go._ " The voice is one John eerily remembers. He whips his head around, looking for the source of the words. Except he's met by the same cold hands as before, and this time, John's screams turn on every alarm in the building.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Hi! Thanks for reading, I hope you like it so far. I'm wondering if you guys have any theories about what's happening. Please leave them in the comments. I appreciate all you guys do. This fanfic will be a pretty short one, ranging an estimated five chapters. Follow and favorite if you like!

x

Mulder and Scully run into John's room with guns at the ready. He's alone, curled up on the floor, on one side of his head his dark hair is plastered down by red. The wall next to him has a splatter pattern of blood dripping to the floor. Scully is by his side in an instant.

"John!" She shouts; rolling him over and thrusting her fingers into his neck vein. Mulder makes his way over, staring first at the boy, then the blood. His heart leaps into his throat, and Mulder involuntarily steps back.

"Is he okay?" Scully doesn't reply. "Scully!" He shouts. "Is John alive?" She smiles in relief.

"Yes, he's alive, barely." More people rush into the room. "He needs medical attention immediately." Before anything else can be done, John's hoisted and rushed out of the room, leaving Mulder and Scully to investigate the scene. "This doesn't make any sense Mulder." Scully mutters while examining the blood pattern on the wall. "It looks like someone tried to smash his head in, but no one's in here. How did someone get in?"

"I don't know." Mulder plops down on the bed with a vacant look in his eyes. The image of the kid's limp body is seared into the back of his eyelids. "Something's not right here, Scully. I think this is bigger than we previously imagined." His partner shoots a glance at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know."

A man with a lab coat and thick glasses pops his head in.

"Agents," They turn to him. "As soon as I heard about the break in, I went to check the security monitor. You're gonna want to see this." He turns on his heels without another word and the two rush after him. He leads them down long hallways and stairs until they reach a small office with one wall almost entirely lined with televisions. The man rushes to the desk and pushes a few buttons on his key board. The bottom left screen flashes on to a black and white surveillance tape. Mulder and Scully draw closer; squinting their eyes at the low quality image. "It's dark." The man explains. "But look," he points. "There's the boy on his bed, you can see his feet in the light from the window." Pressing the fast forward switch, time on the recording speeds up, but the boy stays relatively still. "He just stares at his toes for an hour, but-" The man presses play and cranks up the volume. Mulder and Scully strain their ears to make out John's words.

"John Doe, Gone low, wrong flow, pawn show, swan woe." He yawns "Yawn no, fawn though, on low."

" _I'm sorry, but you have to go._ " The man pauses the video.

"Whose voice was that?" Scully demands.

"That wasn't the boy's voice." Mulder face is scrunched up in concentration.

"Just watch what happens next." The man assures them and presses play again. Though it's almost impossible to see, John's arms take hold of him and drag him over to the wall. He's screaming the whole time; things like "Let go of me!" and "Who are you?" The image quality gets worse and worse as the boy walks further into shadow, but soon he's thrusting his head against the wall. Over and over he goes, crying out in pain, until eventually his body gives out and collapses onto the floor.

Scully covers her mouth and takes a step back. Mulder glances between her and the tape, his mind racing. _Ghosts?_ He considers. _Possession? Curse? Secret twin?_ _That last one doesn't even make sense._

"Maybe the John Doe was trying to commit suicide." The man shrugs. "I don't know though. It didn't look right."

x SCENE CHANGE x

"Hypnotize me?" John exclaims from his reclined, hospital bed. A bandage is wrapped around his head and an IV pumps sedatives into his arms. Mulder sits across from him on a stool while Scully stands in the corner, almost acting as a guard dog.

"Yeah, unlike popular belief, it actually does work." Scully coughs and Mulder glances back at her. John just watches the two.

"Isn't it just some kind of nonsense voodoo?" Mulder grimaces. "I don't know." The boy continues. "It sounds a bit paranormal, no offense but it's kind of, well, unconventional." Scully lifts an eyebrow, not only is she amused by her partner's frustration, but she's also noticed something.

"You have a large vocabulary for a kid your age, John." He looks at her with a furrowed brow.

"Really?" He asks, and taps his head. "The words are all in here. I just don't know where I learned them."

"Anyway," Mulder coughs. "I think we should give hypnotism a try. I've already got the hypnotist here, but I need you to be alright with this, John." The boy hesitates only for a moment, then nods.

"Sure." A smile creeps up Mulder's face as he stands immediately and waves in a man from an observation window. The old guy quickly shuffles in and sets up without a word. Mulder gives him his chair, and then the two agents step back. John can't help but be a bit excited. Hypnotism makes zero sense to him. _But now I get the chance to be the recipient of it!_ John thinks. He turns to the old man, expecting him to swing a pocket watch in front of his nose. However, he just sits there with a clip board and pen in hand. "I'm ready." John tells him, rather giddy. The hypnotist answers with a nod and starts talking.

"Close your eyes." He commands and the boy obeys readily. "Think back to your fist memory since you forgot." John nods. "Describe it."

"I'm in the house. I'm just lying on my back."

"There's a man there too."

"Yes." His voice is already starting to grow distant. "He's outside, and in the house with me at the same time."

"What is he doing?"

"Chasing me. He's going to hurt me. I've got to get out. I don't want him."

"You don't want him?" The man repeats. Mulder and Scully glance at each other, both wondering at the odd phrase. "What does that mean, John?" The boy squeezes his eyes shut and almost writhes at the memory.

"I don't want him. I don't want him! My name is John."

"I don't understand. You're name isn't John. We're trying to find out who you really are." John's seething through his teeth. Mulder's never seen hypnotism affect someone so much.

"He's got in. Have to run. He's got in."

"I understand, he's in the house with you. I'd like you to leave that place now, John." The boy nods, relaxing a bit. "Go to the night the man came back. Tell me about it."

"I don't want to sleep."

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid I'll forget again." Scully does her best not to turn away. The scene is an unpleasant one. To her, John is just a lost kid, so lost his whole world's fallen away.

"How did the man get in the room?" John shakes his head.

"I don't know. I just heard this voice."

"What did this voice say?"

"He said: 'Sorry, but you have to go.' I knew the voice. I've heard it before. I don't know where. Who is that man? I know him. How do I know him?"

"You tell me, John." The boy's still for a moment, his entire face is scrunched in concentration. "Think, John." The man urges. He starts squirming, as if fighting something.

"Scully." John's hand rises in her direction. His voice is imploring. "Help." She rushes over and grabs his hand.

"I'm here, John." She whispers and glances back to Mulder. In all of the years he's seen her in violence and chaos, she's never seemed quite so horrified right now at the realization that, to this boy, her name is the equivalent of mom. Mulder walks to her side.

"He's inside." John whimpers. "Get away. I'm John. Leave. He's inside." The heart monitor starts beeping up a storm. His pulse is running a million miles per hour. "Help!" He's kicking up the covers now. "He's inside!"

"John!" Mulder pushes past the man, grabs the boy's shoulders, and shakes his eyes open. "John, wake up. We're here." The boy's head whips around, looking for the man of his nightmares. "No, look at me. Look at me." John blinks hard a couple times, and turns toward him.

"He's inside." He repeats, glancing between the two agents. "I got a Glimpse Inside."

x SCENE CHANGE x

Agent Mulder was summoned away to receive an urgent FBI fax, leaving Scully and John alone. The boy's still kind of in shock. Everything he says doesn't make sense, not even to himself.

"I'm sorry, Scully." He whispers from his hospital bed while she sits by his feet.

"What for?" She asks. "None of this is your fault." His eyes stay lowered to his folded hands, the pigment of his face darkens.

"I feel like it is though. I feel like I'm the reason all of this bad stuff is happening." He sniffs and wipes at his eyes. "I don't understand why though. I don't understand anything." Scully's expression softens. "I'm so confused." She reaches forward and grabs his hand before her courage fails her.

"We're going to help you through this, John." The ferocity in her voice makes John blink back his tears. "No matter what happens we're going to help you regain your memories and keep you safe."

"Promise?" Scully gulps. You're not supposed to promise anything in the FBI. There will never be a way to guarantee a person's protection. _But darn it,_ she thinks. _If this boy needs a promise I'll give him a promise._

"Promise." Without any warning, Mulder rushes in.

"Scully." He pants, out of breath. "You're not going to believe this. You know the case they're trying to reassign me to?" He pulls out a picture of a man and waves it in her face. "The presumed-dead threat is _the_ Steven Cleaves, the head of the secret intelligence organization. He's been operating under the government's nose for years. Frankly I'm a big fan of his, and they're actually letting me investigate him. They've never let me get this close to a case like this. We have to go, Scully." Agent Scully stands abruptly.

"No. I'm not leaving. You can't just abandon John." Mulder groans.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for an opportunity like this, Scully."

"I can't believe you, Mulder. Does this kid not matter to you at all?" She gestures towards John, who's staring at the picture of the man.

"Of course he matters, but-"

"Guys!" John cuts him off, pointing to the photo. "That's him. That's the man inside."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Author's Note: Hey! Soooo, yeah, I haven't updated in a while. There's no excuse, sorry about that! Anyway, here's the next chapter. There's not much left to go so enjoy it! Please leave a comment. Follow and favorite if you like!

x

Mulder sits in the hospital waiting room, flipping through Steven Cleaves' file for the fifth time. The man has to be in his late thirties early forties with salt and pepper hair. He has a sharp look in his eyes and a hint of a smirk. He has a wife and three kids whose names aren't specified.

Scully looks over Mulder's shoulder, pursing her lips in deep thought.

"What's the big deal about this guy? Why's he such a threat?" Mulder turns to her like she's got slugs slithering out of her nostrils.

"You've never heard of him?" She shrugs.

"He's like the stories I heard about you in college, he specializes in things too bizarre to be remarkable." Mulder blinks and shakes off that last remark. "He must be pretty important to for you to nearly abandon a case for." Her partner nods his head unreservedly.

"In fact, if it wasn't for his connection to this case I wouldn't still be here." Scully gives him a disapproving glare and he holds up his hands. "Look, I've been trying to contact this guy since I knew of his existence, I've searched through FBI data base after data base, I had hackers try their hand and they couldn't get close. This guy is legend."

"If you love him so much, why don't you marry him?" Scully rolls her eyes. "I don't need a speech, Mulder. What's the big deal about this guy?" He grins.

"He's rumored to be more knowledgeable about extraterrestrial life and the abnormal world than the entire US Government. He's supposed to be primarily interested in the manipulation of the human body and soul, which makes possession right up his alley."

"So you're sure this is possession? How could John have seen the man if he was just in his head?" Scully asks.

"What else could it be, Scully? I bet Cleaves was there for real the first time, but not the second, I'm not sure though." She shrugs. "I want to hypnotize John again, drag out Steven Cleaves."

"What?" Agent Scully exclaims. "You're going to make John go through that all over again? So you can get a chat with your idol!" Mulder holds up his hands.

"Hold up. We need to figure out why this is happening. This is just for John's protection as ever. Why are you so protective of him?" Scully looks about ready to shout, but she bites back her words.

"He's just a kid. He should be going to school and spending time with his family and drooling over girls, but he can't even remember his own name. We're all he's got right now, Mulder. Can't you see that? We mean a lot to him." He sighs and rubs his temple.

"That's exactly why we need to stay distant. I don't understand, Scully. You're usually the one in my place." He stands and looks her in the eye. "Is it just because he's a kid?" She folds her arms and looks away, obviously angry. "Please, can we just go hypnotize him one more time? The sooner we figure out Cleaves' deal, the sooner John will be safe."

Neither of them speaks for a while. Mulder's partner will never cease to confuse him, one moment she's cold as ice and the next she's warming up to a kid more than she did after years of knowing him. Eventually, Scully nods, still refusing to look at him.

"Alright." Mulder makes an attempt to sound kind. "I'll go bring in the hypnotist again."

x SCENE CHANGE x

John's surprisingly willing to do it all again. The unsettling moment where he saw the man of his nightmares in a simple photo has him about ready for anything. The hypnotist has taken his place next to him on the same stool. John closes his eyes without being told, which makes Scully smile. He thinks about her while he's waiting for it to begin. _She's nice. I really like her. When I woke up, everyone was so cold and official, but Scully actually talked to me like a human being. It's not like she's my mom, but- well, I want a mom. Soon I'll remember the real one. But still, Scully's nice._ The hypnotist clears his throat. _Then there's that Mulder guy. Most of the time he's all business, but, maybe he cares a bit about me. I mean, he seemed really happy when he saw me conscious for the first time after the second attack. And just now, when he was shaking me awake from hypnotism, he seemed worried. Maybe it's irrational for me to be filling these holes in my life with two FBI agents, but in a warped way, they're like my mom and dad._

"John, I want you to go back to the night of the first attack again." The boy gulps.

"Okay. I'm there."

"Think to when the man was inside. Did you see him running around the house?"

"Well, not exactly. I can feel him though, he's about to catch me."

"What do you mean by 'feeling' him?" John shifts a bit, scrunching up his face in concentration.

"He's here, okay? I can just _feel_ him."

"John, reach deep down inside yourself. Is the man here, with us, in this room, this very moment?" The boy grips the side of the bed and jerks his head back and forth, as if swimming through his own brain.

"Yes." He tenses. "He's here. He's here!" Scully takes a step forward, but restrains herself. This is a vital moment.

"John, listen to me." The hypnotist soothes. "Don't fight him. Let him float to the surface. Let him come through."

"Not that easy." He moans.

"Yes it is. Just let him out." Sweat starts beading on John's forehead. His cheeks puff up and down as he tries to steady his sporadic breathing. "Come on, kid."

"Trying." He writhes and like before, he lifts his hand towards the two agents. "Scully." She's about to rush forward, but the hypnotist interrupts.

"Don't! It'll interfere with the process." She bites her lip. John's outstretched hand contorts in pain.

"Scully. Scully." He cries. Tears pour out of the sides of his eyes; even his complexion's gone pale. "Mulder!"

The simple cry for help strikes Mulder to the bone. It had always been Scully; perhaps that's why he'd been so detached, so distant from the boy. In the short while they've known each other, Scully had taken on the role of mother. That's what the kid needed. But it had never occurred to Mulder what would happen when John needed a father.

He moves forward without thinking, passing Scully, passing the foot of the bed until he's at John's side, griping his hand with all the firm comfort he can muster. His partner's there in the next instant. The hypnotist shoots them a glare of daggers, but neither of them cares. They're both holding onto John, giving as much strength as they can offer. The boy relaxes slightly, and a faint grin flickers across his face before it's masked again by pain. He forces his eyes open to look at them, choking out the words.

"Th-thank you." Then his body goes slack.

"J-John?" Mulder stutters, and the boy stirs, looking back at them.

"My name is not John. It's Steven Cleaves." His very voice is changed. Mulder and Scully both pull away, and Scully gulps, fighting paralysis.

"Why are you inhabiting John's body?" She demands.

"It's more the other way around, though not exactly." The stranger explains horribly while sitting up. "This body is mine, just changed." The two stare at him, and he smirks. "Don't you understand? John and I are the same person. _We_ are Steven Cleaves."

"How?" Mulder takes a step back. "How is that possible?" The boy shrugs.

"It's just a memory wipe mixed with de-aging. With all you've seen, Agent Mulder, I'm surprised you're so taken aback." Everything about the boy has changed; his demeanor, his kindness, his fear, all gone and replaced by the same person but more aged and changed in years.

"Why would you do this?" Agent Scully's thoughts are so construed and discombobulated the world feel like a dream, or a nightmare. She barely even notices when the hypnotist hastily stands and leaves, knowing his place.

"I did _this_ ," He gestures to his body, "because I've learned too much. I dug too deep and now I'm paying the price. The information in my head, if fallen into the wrong hands, could destroy life as we know it. They should have just killed me, but my friends and family wouldn't allow it, so they reset my memory and de-aged me as young as we're currently capable." Mulder and Scully blink. "But thankfully, some of my crew was wise enough to set up a fail-safe. The original plan was to wipe my memory, change my age, and drop me off in the middle of nowhere. That part was successful. Then I was supposed to be adopted into my own family as a poor, defenseless kid with amnesia. However, concerning the possibility that my brain would still somehow retain its memories, I would be able to fight back control and kill this knowledge just as we were supposed to."

"What about John seeing you outside the window when he woke up?" Demands Scully, which makes the boy grin.

"Reflections! He was seeing himself in his true form as a reflection on the window. His sensation of being chased was really just me emerging. The thing moving in the house that made all of those creaking noises, was him. The kid's weak, I need to be gotten rid of before anyone gets a hold of us."

"That's why you're trying to killed John?" Mulder exclaims. This guy really ticks him off. How could John grow into such a creep?

"Correction, I'm trying to kill myself. Suicide and homicide are not the same, and as a government person you should be perfectly used to death by now." The boy fingers at his features, pulling the one of the longer strands of hair into view. "Hey look, I haven't turned grey yet!" The two agents look at each other, both lost for words.

"Why are you telling us this?" Scully narrows her eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" Steven Cleaves scoffs. "I trust you two more than I would most FBI agents judging by what John's seen of you. Huge fan, by the way, Mulder." He grins, which makes Mulder almost look sheepish. "Anyway, I want you to help me kill myself."

The mood in the room shifts like ripples in a pond.

"No!" Scully shouts. "You're not killing John and we're certainly not going to." Steven rolls his eyes.

"Why are you so obsessed with John? He doesn't even have a week's worth of memories. He's just an empty kid trying to fill the gaping holes in his life with the only materials he has to work with: you!" They stare down at him furiously and Steven sighs. _Try a new angle, I guess._ He thinks. _This kid and I was actually a lot alike. We're the same person, except, instead of being lost in a world of parental rejection and beat up conspiracy theory books; he's lost in a world of confusion. Darn! I can't stand when I get sentimental._ "Look," He sighs. "whatever attachment you've formed with my younger self, is it really worth risking Armageddon? 'Cause that's what'll happen. I know things," His face falls. "I know the things I've been searching for my entire life, and now that I know them, I wish I didn't." Mulder rolls his eyes.

"Listen, we're not letting John die. He's perfectly innocent of any crimes you may have committed." Scully nods.

"Yes. Just as innocent as every life that will be lost because of the knowledge in my head. Look, I understand you don't like me," The boy leans forward with the seriousness and air of any adult. "most people don't. My wife called me an insensitive dirt-bag after our first date. But let me assure you, I would kill myself a thousand times over just for her, I would for my kids, and my colleagues, and my friends. I don't want them to be hurt because my head got to greedy. I've caused them enough grief already. So please," He pauses and actually clasps his hands together though his face is red with pride. "just help me do this."

Mulder and Scully are at a loss to say the least.

"No matter what your reasoning." Scully huffs, unsure of herself. "There's no proof to justify the murder of an eleven-year-old. Now, I think I speak on the behalf of my partner as well as myself when I tell you to let John take back control!" Surprisingly, Steven only raises an eyebrow to this, and sighs.

"Very well. I'll do it without your help, but I'll give him back for now. There's no telling how many interactions you have left with him." With that, the boy falls back onto the bed, his eyes closing during the descent, the tell-tale smirk still leaving its shadow across his face.

"John!" The two rush up to him. For one heart stopping moment, he doesn't awaken, doesn't stir, doesn't even breath. His features have grown sallow as if the life's been sucked out of him. The heart monitor goes flat, and fills the room with its empty, resounding ring. Mulder shakes the boy's shoulder, unconsciously holding his breath as if unwilling to breathe until John does.

When he does move, his whole body shutters. He draws in a gasping breath to accompany the shaking. Steven's departure left John in the cold of his own mind. When his eyes finally open, squinting in the fluorescent hospital life, he speaks.

"No way." Mulder takes a step back and laughs.

"No way is right, kid." He says. Scully grabs hold of John's wrist though the heart monitor says enough of his pulse, she checks it anyway. John glances between the two of them. His brain runs a million miles per hour, processing the experience of watching his body and mind act as if he was watching it on a television screen. The words said and their meanings flood through him.

"He's right." John whisper.

"What do you mean?" Scully asks, wiping his forehead with her sleeve.

"Steven Cleaves is right. His knowledge, it must be bad, I'm risking everyone's safety just by existing." He stares at his hands, wondering what they looked like when he was grown up. "I'm not afraid of dying." He says, rather decidedly. "In fact, I think Steven Cleaves feared living more than anything else. I can feel it."

"But you aren't Steven Cleaves." Scully sits down on the bed. "And we are certainly not going to let you die. Right, Mulder?" She shoots him a glare which he barely notices as he jumps to say.

"Absolutely. We'll keep you safe from that guy." Deep inside, Mulder still really admires the consciousness hidden behind John's, but still, this is more important than a simple idol. John shakes his head.

"No, you don't understand. I am Steven, just a younger version of him." His eyes dart back and forth as he thinks. "I know my identity, my family, I know why that man is trying to kill me. Everything makes sense- well, not really- but whatever he knows," John shutters. "it lurks in the back of my head. Some knowledge is so powerful, its alive, this thing is practically sentient."

"John, you need to rest." Scully reaches down and declines the bed until it's parallel with the floor. "Mulder and I will handle this." Her partner sticks one hand deep into his pocket and his other scratches the back of his head, unsure of the meaning of "handle".

"Yeah, sport." Mulder grins as reassuring as he can to the kid whose looking at them both pleadingly. "Nothing can hurt you while under our protection." John sighs, his shoulders falling a bit, but his gaze softens as the two stare kindly down at him.

"Sport?" He repeats softly. "I don't think Cleaves liked sports as a kid."

"Well that's where _he_ went wrong." Mulder hesitates, then rubs John's hair, knowing full well he's falling into the same rabbit hole as Scully. "We'll have to find some time to play catch or something." A little pang ran through John's chest, knowing that will probably never happen, but liking the idea all the same. He nods. Scully touches his hand which lays over the bed sheets and smiles.

"You were very brave, John. We're proud of you. Leave the rest to us."

"Okay." He says simply, and the two leave, Scully flipping the light switch and glancing back at him one more time, before turning and shutting the door. Only the heart monitor lights the darkness with a dim glow. John sighs, the sudden understanding of the situation has made him much calmer. He stares into the white speckled ceiling and whispers.

"The men you're so afraid of are coming for us, aren't they?"

" _Yes."_ Steven sighs. _"We have to prepare ourselves."_


End file.
